This article was published in the Lenoir News-Topic.

It’s Party Time, a locally owned party-supply store on Wilkesboro Boulevard in Lenoir, will close in September.

The store was the only one of its kind in the county, selling everything from Mylar balloons to themed plasticware at discount prices. The closest comparable retail store is Party City in Hickory, but It’s Party Time found it tough to compete with the party supplies offered at nearby big-box chains such as Walmart and Dollar General, owner Lisa Genske said Friday.

“Walmart can buy this stuff so much cheaper than what I can buy it for,” Genske said. “I have a lot of reasonable prices, but some things I just can’t compete with them.”Genske also blamed the struggling regional economy for sales that have been dropping for at least seven months. So after more than two years in Lenoir, the store will go out of business at the end of September.

The final day of operation hasn’t yet been chosen, Genske said.